The First Time
by Kuma the wolf alchemist
Summary: There's a first for everything. Xaria must navigate through the Capital Wasteland to find the man who left her to die in the vault while completing missions, dodging bullets, and killing whether it be for protections or gains. She hates, it but she'll grow as a person and fighter, while helping people and ticking people off the whole way through.
1. Stepping Out

1. Stepping Out

She numbly ran down the stairs, only glancing up to see if the Overseer had somehow seen his desk rise to allow her to slip down to the vault door. Thank God he was still in the other room- probably questioning his guards why they had yet to find her. Just the thought of the Overseer sent anger through her. How dare he hurt two people she held dear to her. Not only did he make her father run away, he killed Jonas. She would never forgive him for such a detestable act. No one hurts someone close to her and gets away with it; however there was little she could do in her current, weak state.

_Focus,_ she chastised herself. _You can think of ways to kill him later. First, you need to get out of this hell hole. _

She quickly found the switch to open the large metal vault door. The siren blared in her ear as the vault was open- she almost expected to hear rapid footsteps from the stairs due to the noise, but nothing came. Once the door was opened she sprinted to the mouth of the cavern that hid the vault from view. Without hesitation, she threw the wooden door open- miles and miles of wasteland greeting her.

_Is this…this is what the world looks like? _She thought, looking up at the blazing sun for the first time in her life. She knew it existed, however she had never seen it for herself. The mantra "You're born in the vault, you die in the vault" wasn't said as joke. She slowly moved her feet through the Capital Wasteland for the first time- the wind kicking sand up into her hazel eyes. The air was hot and sticky, much different than the cold sterile air within the vault.

_Welcome to your new life Xaria, _She grimaced. Sure the vault wasn't perfect, but that didn't mean she wanted to leave- however it was her only choice. She could either die by the hands of the Overseer, or step out on faith and find her father. Finding her father and getting answers was the best option, because dying wasn't in her plans. Equipped with only a few meager supplies she was able to quickly gather and a 10mm pistol for protection, she began to move her feet down the rocky hill. She would go all over the Capital Wasteland in order to find her father if it was the last thing she did.


	2. Megaton

2. Megaton

In a matter of about twenty minutes Xaria arrived at her first town- Megaton. She glanced wide eyed at her surroundings- this was a town full of different kinds of people. Each person came from somewhere other than a vault and made their home here. She didn't know what to think of the town. How did they survive out here for so long? Her thoughts were interrupted by a tall, African American approaching her.

"What is this, another new comer? Name's Lucas Simms, town sheriff and mayor too, when the need arises," He greeted with a small smile. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes," She stuttered nervously. This was her first time talking to someone outside of the vault and for some reason it made her nervous. "I was wondering if you had seen my father come through here. He's a tall African American man, possibly in a long white coat or vault 101 jump suite."

"No I don't believe I've seen him, however if you ask around someone might have seen him," He replied. "Do you need any directions around town?"

She shook her head, replying: "No, I think I'll manage. Thank you."

Xaria walked away and further into the town. In the middle was nuclear warhead which made her extremely nervous. Could that bomb be set off or was it dead? Within the irradiated water that surround was the bomb was a man, chanting his praises to Atom. She fought to keep her face straight as she passed the man- why on Earth would he praise a nuclear warhead? She shifted her attention from the strange sight to questioning the residences. Her search soon brought her to Moriarty's Saloon. She glanced around the dusty saloon nervously, her eyes falling on the man she thought was in charge; however out of the corner of her eye she noticed a man in a white suite waving her over. She wanted to ignore the man but the owner of the saloon stepped into the backroom.

_Well, I guess I'll see what this guy over here wants, _she thought to herself. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever the man had to say to her before heading his way. "Can I help you, sir?"

"My, my. Just when I had all but given up hope. My dear, I am very happy to make your acquaintance. I am Mister Burke. And you well; you are not a residence of this putrescent cesspool. That makes you a rather valuable individual," He told her in a slow and rather creepy voice.

She titled her head slightly in confusion. "It does?"

"Don't you see?" He asked. "You're a free agent! You've not ties here, no interested in this settlement's affairs. Megaton means nothing to you! I represent certain…interests who view this town, this "Megaton", as blight on a burgeoning urban landscape. If this settlement were to…go away. Why, who would really care? Certainly not you or I…"

Xaria looked at him blankly for a moment, not fully understanding what he was getting at. "Go on. I'm listening."

"The undetonated atomic bomb for which this town is named is still very much alive. All it needs is a little motivation. I have in my possession a Fusion Pulse Charge constructed for a singular purpose- the detonation of that bomb. You'll rig it to the bomb. Then you'll get paid. Handsomely. What do you say?"

She felt a sudden flare of anger course through her veins. _How dare this man ask me to do such a thing._ She growled in her head. All she could see were the small children she passed who played carelessly with smiles on their faces and the adults who simply wanted to live in peace. She wasn't about to take that away from them. Xaria crossed her arms, glaring down at the man in pure hatred. "You're out of your mind Burke. There's no way I'm helping you."

With that she turned on her heals and purposely walked away from the deranged man who had asked her to do something to horrible. Her feet lead her outside where she took huge gulps of air to calm herself down from the sudden emotional high. How could people be so cruel? Within the course of a day she lost her home, a friend, her father, and was asked to destroy a whole town. Never had she felt so much hated in her and she wanted the feeling to go away. Sure she disliked people, Butch being extremely high on the list, but she never felt hate before. It was a strange and consuming feeling.

"Alright, get yourself together and remember what you're out here for. Remember your mission," She whispered to herself while retying her thick wavy black hair in a ponytail. "Let's go find information about dad."

She walked back into the saloon, noticing that the owner what back at the bar. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts she approached him, saying: "Excuse me?"

The grey haired man looked at her curiously. "Hello! Colin Moriarty, at your service! Welcome to Moriarty's! My saloon, my home, my slice of heaven in this backwoods little burg. If you've got the caps, I've got your pleasure. Please, sit down, make yourself comfortable. Your troubles are a thing of the past."

She decided to get right to the point, seeing no point in stalling. "I'm looking for my father. Middle-aged African American guy. Maybe you've seen him?"

"My God…It's you." He replied, taking a closer look at her dusty face. "The little baby girl, all grown up. It's been a long time, kid! Oh, your daddy passed through here, all right. Here and gone. Got what he come for, and then left. I'm assuming you'll do the same, correct?"

Her eyes squinted in confusion. "Huh? My father and I were born in Vault 101."

Moriarty laughed. "Is that what your father told you? That you were born in that hole? That he was born there as well? Oh, the lies we tell to those we love." He sobered up a bit, before continuing: "Your father brought you to the Vault right after you were born. To keep you safe, you see. I remember it well- you stayed in my saloon, after all. That's right. Your father, his Brotherhood of Steel friend, and you, the suckling babe with nary a tit to suckle. Sorry about your mom. Truly." He shrugged, continuing on: "But, life goes on. Daddy lied. Life's full of little disappointments. And now…you're all grown up, and wondering where he's gone to…"

"My Dad told me we were born in Vault 101…" She protested lamely, unable to fully comprehend what she was being told. 'Your born in the vault, you die in the vault' is what she was always told and now this old man with a strange accent comes along and tells her otherwise.

"I see," He hummed. "I heard about the brainwashin' that goes on down there. From some other fella, escaped, oh…five years back. All hail the Overseer! We're born in the Vault; we die in the Vault! And all that other assorted lunacy. Kid, you better wise up quick before takes advantage of ya."

With fist clenched tight, she looked away from the man who was her closest lead to her father. So many thoughts circulated through her head; however she didn't have time to analyze them. "Look, I just want to find my Dad. Do you know where he is?"

He chuckled lightly. "You seem like a nice kid, so I'm going to be straight with you. Your dad was here, and now he's not, and yes I know where he went, but what you're asking me for is information, and information is a commodity. How about 100 caps, and daddy's location is yours. Very reasonable."

Xaria hands unclenched as she sighed in defeat. She never needed currency while she was in the vault, so she never gave it a thought when she left. How stupid of her. "I don't have 100 caps."

"Well then you can run an errand for me. I need you to take care of a woman named Silver and get back money she stole from. She's over in a shack in Springvale just a few minutes away. Think you can handle that?"

Xaria weighed her options. This man was currently her only lead to her father so she really had no choice but to take it. "Alright, I'll get your caps back." She quickly wrapped up her conversation and headed outside to find it dark. "Well, I guess I won't be going until morning."

She found a common house, but to her dismay found many of the beds either taken or clearly belonging to someone. She shuffled back outside where she found a couch to rest on. _It could be worse, _she thought as she laid down on the dirty couch. _I could be out in the middle of nowhere sleeping on the dirt. _She placed a hand on her holstered pistol, before slowly letting herself fall asleep. Today she took her first steps outside and acquired her first mission. Soon she would hopefully find her father and clear up everything that had gone on in the vault as well as between themselves. Maybe things could go back to the way it used to be.


	3. Mission, Raiders, and Murder

**3. Mission, Raiders, and Murder**

What woke her up hours later was a spring in the couch cutting into her side. Lifting up her arm and turning the dial on her pip-boy she found that was 7:05 in the morning- the sun just coming up over the horizon.

"Time to get moving," She grumbled, rolling off the couch and onto her feet. She snacked on slightly irritated chips as she walked towards the gates of the town. Her throat burned every time she swallowed, but she knew she needed to eat something. Once out of the town she checked her pip-boy for directions, before heading down the hill to the town of Springvale. She glanced at her surroundings wearily, wanting to get the mission over with. She only stopped to glance into the mailboxes to see what she could scavenge- she smiled when she found bobby pins and a few magazines. It didn't take her long to find Silver's house seeing as it was the only place that looked livable. She stood at the door for a moment, trying decide how to approach the situation. She could either barge in and demand the money like a badass or knock and ask politely. She decided to try to be polite first before going to extreme measures.

"Hello?" She called, knocking on the door. No answer. "Well…I wanted to try to be nice." She put her hand on the knob and put more force into opening the door then necessary. She was expecting it to be locked and needing to be kicked in. Seconds later a blond haired woman approached her- blue eyes shining with annoyance.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked, arms crossed. "Did Moriarty send you?

"Look," Xaria started, giving the older women a look over for weapons. "Moriarty wants his money back. You give me the money and I tell you I took care of you."

"You think I would give up just like that?" She growled, her glare hardening.

Xaria took her gun out of its holder, raising it up for Silver to clearly see. She had no intention of shooting the woman, but she needed things to go her way. "You could give me the money or I put a bullet through your head. Your call."

Silver grumbled a bit before handing over 300 caps. "Now scram!"

"Gladly," She scowled. Xaria pocketed the currency and headed back to Megaton. She found herself getting used to the wasteland and how the hot sun pounded on her. Not that she enjoyed it, but she was handling it better then she thought she would. _From now on I can't be the nice girl I always tried to be. I need to make sure no one messes with me. _

"Here's 100 caps Moriarty," Xaria said, placing the money on the bar counter. "Now where's my father?"

"Excellent!" Moriarty praised, taking the caps and pocketing them. "Your dad raised a smart kid. Really no substitute for the love a father, now is there? Speaking of dear old dad, he went southeast, into D.C to the Galaxy News Radio Station. Good luck now."

"Galaxy News Radio Station huh," She muttered as Moriarty walked off to help a costumer. She looked at her pip-boy and sighed at the distance, though she didn't know what she was expecting. The Capital Wasteland was huge after all. "If I leave now I can still make it to….somewhere by night fall."

With the left over caps she acquired from her mission she bought a few stimpacks from Doc. Church and a few snacks from the saloon. She walked out of the gates of Megaton and began her long trek through the dirt- following her pip-boys directions as carefully as possible.

"Is that…?" She whispered, ducking behind a rock. She had been traveling for about thirty minutes when something weird caught her eye. Just a few feet away from her was what looked like grocery store, however there were decapitated bodies strung up the side of it. Outside of its door was two guards- walking around and surveying the area with guns in hand. "Raiders…." She heard of the ruthless gang vaguely while she was in Megaton getting some food. She was told of how they kidnapped people and sold them into slavery; how they killed just to kill and the bodies they strung up were like their medals of honor. They disgusted her and she would be damned if they got in her way.

She waited a bit for them to start talking to each other before dashing to get behind a bus next to her. She doubted she could take them right now, but figured if she could stay out of their sight then she would be fine.

"Hey!" She heard one of them shout, blowing any chance of getting away without fighting them.

_Oh Lord help me, _She screamed in her head. Her first thought was to run. She turned to run to the river, thinking she could jump into the radiated water and get away, but a scantily clad woman stood in her path- a smirk adorning her face. The woman tilted in head in a mocking manner, saying: "Where do you think you're running off to?"

"Where do you think?" Xaria shot back without thought. "Away from you crazy people!"

"Now that hurts," A man replied coming around the bus and into sight next to the woman. Two against one. The woman had a bat while the man had a gun. Xaria knew she needed to take care of the man first because he was more of a threat with the Chinese pistol. "Now if you don't put up a fight you won't die."

"What would you do with me?" Xaria questioned, trying to buy for time. She was running on adrenalin at this point. She was scared out of her mind, but was determined to live.

"Sell you into slavery of course," The man replied. He walked closer towards her, his gun still pointed at her as if to show her who was in charge. He lifted his free hand up and ran a dirty finger down her face. "You look like you'd make a good prostitute."

"Do I now?" Xaria questioned, tilting her head away from the man's hand. "I apologize, but that's not an option." With speed she didn't know she possessed, she grabbed the raider's hand- the gun now pointed passed her head- while she took out her gun and pointed it at the man's head. "I have business to attend to." And with that she pulled the trigger of her pistol. Blood went everywhere around her- in her hair, her face, her chest. She heard the woman scream out the man's name before charging towards her with the baseball bat. "Now, now." She pointed the gun towards the woman, making her stop in her tracks. "You saw what I did to your friend didn't you? And you're only equipped with a bat."

"You bitch!" The woman screamed in furry- charging at her once more. Xaria pulled the trigger two more times- the first bullet only grazing the raider's arm, the second brining the woman down.

Xaria starred down at the two bodies blankly- numbly scavenging the bodies for ammo, weaponry, and anything that looked valuable. She made her way across the bridge with no trouble- consulting her pip-boy for directions. It directed her into a metro station and she opened its gates without hesitation. It was then, in that cold and dark metro station, that it finally hit. She just killed two people. When she had escaped the vault she merely knocked the guards unconscious or shot them in the leg to keep them from running after her.

"Oh my gosh," She breathed out, falling to her knees. The blood was still on her face; her gun was still clutched in her hand. She began to hyperventilate- having flashbacks of the moment she took two lives. Yes, they would have killed her or sold her into slavery, but it didn't matter. A life was a life and she was now a murderer. "I killed them…I killed them." She repeated at least five times like a broken record- tears pouring down her grimy face. Then another thought crossed her mind: "What would dad say?"


	4. Lost, Super Mutants, and Brotherhood

**4. Lost, Super Mutants, Brotherhood**

Xaria sat huddled in a corner of the long abandoned underground railway- hisses and grunts echoing from around the corner. Then a battle cry and gun shots could be heard. Guarding the mouth of the metro station- right in the path of where she needed to cross- was a Super Mutant. Every so often he would rush off to attack a Ghoul before returning back to his post.

_What do I do? _She thought frantically. She quietly checked her ammo supply and knew she had enough, however the beast was huge and she didn't know how fast it was. She leaned her forehead against the cool concrete wall, trying to calm herself down to think rationally. _I obviously can't stay here forever, this is the only path I can take so I need to hurry up and make a decision or I'll never find dad. _

Xaria checked her pistol's ammo, injected a stimpack in her arm for good measure, and then started crawling away from her safe hiding spot and in between the ruble- slowing inching closer to the Super Mutant.

"Huh?" The monster uttered when he heard rocks and debris shuffle. He began to walk away from his post and towards her direction.

_Alright, use the element of surprise when he gets closer. _She thought, trying to motivate herself. Once the Super Mutant was within distance for her to accurately shoot, she bolted to a standing position- her gun ready. A smirk tugged at her lip at the surprised look on its face. "What up?" pop, pop, dodge, dive, and crumple. Under a minute later the mutant was dead and Xaria came out of the battle with a graze on her leg. She took a moment to look over the dead mutant's body- taking the assault rifle and ammo. She felt energy going through her veins and she went headlong into the Ghoul populated section of the metro station. She was so engrossed in running and shooting that she took a wrong turn and ended up off course.

"Oh God I'm lost," She said under her breath. It surprised her how cocky she got and how quickly she lost focus. She felt like she was becoming a different person after just being out of the vault for a few days. While she was a vault-dweller Xaria had been quiet and reserve, even though she knew almost everyone around her. Only her father, Jonas, and Amata saw her stubborn and sarcastic side, because she knew they truly cared about her and wanted her to be real with them. Also, she didn't feel like starting fights with Butch no matter how annoying he was. She had a feeling that she would have to start becoming less polite and reserved as she continued on in her journey to keep from being walked over, but it was a hard cycle to break.

With a sigh she pulled herself together and focused on the compass on her pip-boy. She power walked through the debris- clearing out or barely dodging Ghouls and Radroaches as she went. It took her a lot longer then she expected to get to Chevy Chase- the sun hanging around four of five in the afternoon. It seemed quite enough, and she almost let her guard down, but then she heard gun fire. Crouching down, she inched closer until she could see Super Mutants fighting a group in armor. She stood up, making sure to hang back enough to be unseen by the Super Mutants as the group attacked with laser rifles. Once all the Super Mutants were taken out, blond women- along with another solider with in an armored helmet- walked towards her.

"Is this the idiot who blew our cover?" The woman asked the soldier, looking at Xaria in annoyance.

"Looks that way," The man replied.

_Excuse me? _Xaria wanted to snap, however she bit her tongue. There was her reserved and non-confrontational side again. _I'm pretty sure I went unseen. You blew your own ambush. _She flashed the women a polite smile, trying to show that she meant no harm.

"Look, I don't know who you are but you don't belong here. The Super Mutants have overrun our brothers at the Galaxy News Radio building, and we're headed there to back them up," She said firmly. She then paused, as if to decide if she really wanted to say the next thing she had in mind. "You can tag along if you want. But keep your head down and try not to do anything…stupid."

"Okay…thanks," Xaria replied, trying to stay pleasant but the women really grated on her nerves. "Who are you?"

"Sentinel Sarah Lyons with the Brotherhood of Steel," She replied shortly. "Any more questions."

"Nope," Xaria replied. "Lead the way.

She struggled to keep up with the fast paced soldiers. She was hungry and thirty, but tried her best to ration her supplies out so they would last longer.

"Who's she?" She heard one of the men ask Lyons.

"Just a stray," Lyons replied.

_Just a stray, huh? _Xaria thought. _I guess she's right. I am a bit of a stray. I've got nothing left right now- just wondering the waste with the thought that I'll find my father. _

After taking on more Super Mutants- which was a lot easier with help- Xaria stood in the GNR plaza feeling her spirits raise. She was exhausted, but knew she was just moments away from finding out where her father was. She was about to climb the stairs to access the building when she heard a monstrous growl that echoed though the plaza.

"What is that?" Xaria shouted, to anyone who could hear her. She ran back towards the center where she heard shouts coming from the soldiers about a Behemoth coming. Moments later the rubble that once stood immobile near the side of the GNR building was blasted away- revealing the largest Super Mutant she had ever seen. She stood in shock for a moment, not sure what to do. What could she do? She watched as Brotherhood of Steel soldiers ran out from the building and began to fire at the monster, but it had little to no effect.

_What do I do? _Xaria questioned frantically. She then noticed, next to a dead solider that laid forgotten on the water fountain, was a mini nuke. She sprinted over to the weapon, picking the weapon up with a struggle- she couldn't stand up with it, but the area was just the right size where she could aim at the Behemoth without having to be on her feet. She fumbled with the missile as she put it into the weapon- the monster was getting closer and more people were being injured or dying. When she finally got the weapon together she had just enough time to fire the weapon before it took a swing at her. The kickback from the mini-nuke took her breath away- debris flying into her face and leaving scraps all over any exposed skin. She fired the second missile without hesitation, making her shoulder ach, but she got the job done. The Behemoth was down- sprawled out in the middle of the GNR plaza.

"Hey!" She heard Lyons shout. Or it least the tone sounded like a shout; everything sounded muffled. "Are you okay?"  
She looked at the women who was heading her way and tried to crack a smile. "Yeah I'm fine." She dropped the weapon with shaking arms. Her ears rang and her head ached. "I need to…" She took a shaky breath, feeling incredibly faint. "I need to see…who runs Galaxy News Radio. I need to…" Xaria felt herself fall to her knees, her hearing fading. The last thing she saw was Lyons trying to catch her.


	5. Three Dogs and Slavery

I'd like to thank Meishuu and swimfeared for being the first two the follow this story. Makes me feel like people read this :)

* * *

**5. Three Dogs and Slavery **

_"Daddy, can we ever visit the outside?"_

_A deep, but gentle chuckle was heard. "No, sweetie. You know we can't do that."_

_"Not even for a few minutes?"_

_"Ari, we've been over this, it's just not safe up there."_

_Xaria glanced around the living room as if checking to see if there were any secret microphones or cameras. She then looked up at her father with curious eyes, saying: "Is it because of the Overseer? I heard from Mrs. Jackson that 'We're born in the vault, and we die in the vault' and that it was a rule by the Overseer. Can't we live and die here, but also visit the surface?"_

_James couldn't help but laugh at how serious his six year old daughter had thought about this topic. He reached down to ruffle her wavy mess of hair before crouching down to give her a hug. "Don't think about it too much. The outside is covered with radiation that can harm you. And if the radiation doesn't get you then the monsters out there will." He pulled away and held her at arm's length. "Don't dwell on it. Just know that you're safe here and that nothing will harm you."_

_Xaria pouted, but soon smiled up at her father. "Oh, alright. Can we go see what Jonas is doing?"_

_James stood up- taking his daughter hand. "Of course."_

* * *

Her whole body ached in pain and for nourishment. She wanted pain killers and food. When she was able to pry her eyes open she found herself in a cluttered room on a couch. When she tried to sit the room spun, forcing her to lie back down and wait for the dizzy spell to pass.

"Well look who's awake," She heard a male comment from the other side of the room. "Thought you slipped into a coma."

Xaria groaned, her head hurting from how loud he was talking. At least she could hear again though. She though the mini-nuke had destroyed both her ear drum. After a moment of struggling to sit up she finally was able to sit straight. "How long was I out for?"

"About a day and a half. You're body was extremely exhausted and I administered med-x to you so you wouldn't be too uncomfortable while you slept."

Xaria tried to send him a gracious smile, but her face hurt from the tiny cuts and scrapes on her face. "Thank you for helping me." She then looked at him with curiosity. "Who are you?"

The African American man smiled, replying: "I am Three Dog, master of the finest radio station to grace the wastes- Galaxy News Radio." He looked at her closely as if he saw something in her that she couldn't see. "I know you who are though. I heard about you leavin' the vault just like your father."

"Have you seen him?" Xaria asked, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"I have," He replied. "However I need you to do something for me in order for me to tell you where he went off too."

_You're kidding me right? _She groaned in her head. Out in the waste everything had a catch. You want information? Well you better cough up some caps or be prepared to go and risk your life. With a sigh, she replied: "What do I need to do?"

"Some Super Mutant thought it would be a grand idea to shoot the shiny thing on top of the Washington Monument. The dish is destroyed and obviously there is no one that can make a new one," He replied. "But, there is a dish that can replace it. It's in the Museum of Technology on the old Virgo II Lunar Lander."

Three Dogs looked at her expectantly. What other choice did she have but to comply? This man was her only ticket to finding her father. With a sigh, Xaria said: "Alright, I'll go and get your dish."

Three Dogs grinned, saying: "You're going to be the best thing to happen to Galaxy News Radio!"

Xaria gave a halfhearted smile, wondering what she had just gotten herself into. She slept the rest of the afternoon on Three Dog's couch, then head out into the Capital Wasteland the next morning. She felt rejuvenated and ready to take on whatever was ahead of her- something she hadn't felt in awhile. She traveled the underground metro station, dodging Ghouls and looking out for raiders.

_I don't understand why he couldn't just tell me where my father was and then ask me to get this dish for him, _She thought, leaning against the concrete wall. Around the corner was a raider base and she was stalling for time. She mentally wasn't ready to fight them, but knew it as only a matter of time until she would have to fight them head on. There was no other path nearby to take because of the debris. _Granted I probably would've skipped this and went to wherever dad is, but still…_

Xaria peaked around the corner and saw that the raider was facing away from her. Xaria raised her gun and took the shot that brought the raider to the ground. Every time she killed a human, evil or not, she felt hurt. She was taking away a life that she, in reality, had no right to take away. She tried to ignore the guilty feeling and slowly went further into the raider's base. As she went she looted what she could- picking a few locks when she had a few extra seconds to spare before the next raider rounded the corner. It was when she was standing up after picking an ammo case that she heard footsteps. She went to turn however a deep voice said emotionlessly: "Don't move."

The man nudged the back of her knees, as if to gently signal her to get on the floor. Xaria complied, realizing there wasn't much else she could do. There was a gun to her head and her own weapon was confiscated as soon as her knees touched the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut- expecting for a gunshot to be the last thing she would ever hear, but was surprised when she felt calloused hands bring her arms behind her back and rope around her wrists. She then felt a metal collar around her neck.

_Oh God no, _She mentally squeaked. She tried to keep her body from trembling as the man lifted her to her feet by her forearm. _I'm being sold into slavery. _


End file.
